Advice

Expert advice to help you get the most out of stargazing, from DIY projects to practical astronomy tips.

Clavius is a wonderfully rugged moon crater, ripe for observing with a telescope. Credit: Pete Lawrence

How to see crater Clavius on the Moon

Have you come to astronomy new during lockdown? You'll need help choosing your first telescope. Credit: Mark Garlick / Science Photo Library

Astronomy in a pandemic: choosing your first telescope

How to collimate a Newtonian telescope

How to collimate a Newtonian telescope

Make the most of Mars at opposition in 2020. Credit:Pete Lawrence

Mars Opposition 2020 See the Red Planet at its best

Mercury and Spica, as they appear through a telescope eyepiece at x25 on 22 September at 14:30 BST (13:30 UT). Credit: Pete Lawrence

Observing guide See planet Mercury near Spica

A selection of some of the deep-sky objects from the Caldwell Catalogue. Clockwise from top left: NGC 891, The Fireworks Galaxy, NGC 7662, The Owl Cluster, The Flaming Star Nebula, NGC 2403. Credit: Manfred Wasshuber, Michael Breite, Stefan Heutz, Wolfgang Ries, Michael Caller / CCDGuide.com

Observing guide Caldwell Catalogue: an astronomy tour of the night sky.

How to spend your first night with a telescope. Credit: m-gucci / Getty Images

Your first night with a telescope

Can you spot green stars in the night sky? Credit: iStock

Green stars Take our emerald observing tour of the night sky

Equinoxes occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. For Earth, this is the point that the planet’s axis points neither towards nor away from the Sun. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Autumn equinox: when it is and what it means

Venus and a 14%-lit waning crescent Moon near M44 on the morning of 14 September. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Observing guide See Venus, Moon and Beehive Cluster, 11-15 September

Kynance Cove under the Milky Way Louise Jones (UK). Category: The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. Equipment Nikon D7100 camera, Sigma 10-20 mm lens at 10 mm f/3.5, ISO 3200, 5 x 25-second exposures.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2020: watch the awards night online

A good selection of coloured filters is a useful addition when observing Mars. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Telescope filters: a beginner’s guide

Orion Nebula upside down. Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

Why does my telescope show everything upside down?

If you're a planetary imager, make sure your laptop and software are ready for a new season of astronomy. Credit: Steve Marsh

Autumn astronomy The best targets for longer nights

A conjunction of the moon with Venus and Jupiter, Chanthaburi, Chanthabur, Thailand, 28 November 2019. Credit: Chakarin Wattanamongkol / Getty Images

Observing guide Upcoming conjunctions and how to see them